Years ago, our son walked in the kitchen cradling something in his hands that was nuzzled up against his chest. He was probably about 16 at time. Behind him was his father giving me a wary look. Something was up.

Ryan walked up excited to show me a tiny, fluffy gray kitten. This little baby was obviously too young to be away from its mother. It was just way too small. He was adorable, though. I loved on the kitten as I talked with Ryan. I then looked at the Husband — with “that” look.

At the time, we already had two big black Labs, Midnite and Bogey, and a large black and white cat named, Millennium — Mel, for short.

What was the Husband thinking bringing another animal into the house? That may sound strange with y’all knowing we currently have four dogs. But I swear, we never planned on ever having more than two animals at a time. It just happens — and it’s usually the Husband’s fault, although he’d never admit it.

The man is a pushover.

In this case, he just couldn’t say no to our son. In talking with Ryan I found out the story behind that little kitten that came to be known as Sam I Am, or Sammy.

His mother was feral and had a litter at the house of a friend of Scott’s. Soon after, before they were weaned, she abandoned them. Ryan found Sammy, emaciated and starving.

Our boy has a tender heart and once he found that kitten, it was definitely coming home.

I would think, when a living creature truly knows starvation at any time in their life, it would take some time for them to trust the fact that food would once again be there when they finished eating a meal.

Shortly after we got Sammy, I was sitting on the living room floor watching TV. I’d just finished a glass of milk when that tiny kitten knocked it over and squeezed his entire body into that glass to get the little ring of milk still left at the bottom.

Sammy was ravenous — always looking for food and eating or drinking anything, anytime he could find it. Even at the bottom of a milk glass. It seemed to take years for him to realize the food will always be there for him.

Besides eating, one of his favorite pastimes was suckling anything he thought was appropriate — I guess because he was never weaned. He particularly loved the bathmats.

Oh, that cat loved to be petted, too. He grew big and healthy with a long gray coat. He’d sit for as long as you’d let him as he kneaded, enjoying the experience.

All you really needed was a blanket for him to rest on because he still had his claws (indoor/outdoor cat) and a towel for the drool. If you’ve ever seen a St. Bernard drool, imagine that gelatinous spittle oozing out of the sides of the mouth of a now 21-pound majestic feline.

Yes, that kitten grew up and got huge. I once asked our vet if he was obese. She quickly responded, “No. He’s just big.” I then mentioned Mel being our regular-size cat and she said, “You don’t know what a regular-size cat is.”

Well OK, then. Our animals tend to be big.

Sammy’s head was so large, the top of my entire hand barely covered the top of his skull. The cat was huge. From that tiny kitten came a loving monster of a cat that once knew starvation and was abandoned, as was his mother. If his mother, the feral cat, or her mother had been fixed that wouldn’t have happened. It’s a chain reaction. But it would have saved animals from starvation and overpopulation. Get your pets spayed and neutered. Ours are.

Keeping things in the animal vein, head over to the Mississippi Trademart for the Magnolia Classic Cluster Dog Shows, 8 a.m.-5p.m., Thursday through Sunday. The dog show includes the following categories: all-breeds, junior showmanship, obedience trials and rally trials. The event features on-site vendors selling unusual dog-related items for both dogs and humans. Cost: $2 donation. For more information, go to Mississippi State Kennel Club.

Jumping from animals to people and the murder there of, New Stage Theatre’s production of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” opened yesterday. Don’t miss it. The mystery, about ten strangers who are summoned to a remote island — each having been marked for murder, continues tonight through Sept. 17 and then Sept. 19-24. The production is recommended for ages 12 and up. For tickets and information, go to New Stage Theatre. I love a good mystery and Agatha Christie is one of the best. I’m sure New Stage will do her proud.

If you haven’t been to Mississippi Opera’s Cabaret at Duling Hall series, give it a try this week with Cabaret Soiree on Monday, 7:30-10 p.m., Sept. 18. Soprano Amy Pfrimmer and pianist Dreux Montegut perform songs written for stage and film by George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter and Kurt Weill. Duling Hall is at 622 Duling Ave. in Jackson’s Fondren District. Cost: $25. For tickets and more information, go to www.msopera.org.

Contact Barbara Gauntt at bgauntt@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook.